Family Fun Over the Holidays

The holidays were crazy for us, in a good way. We have a lot of family in the area, so we wound up going five different places for Christmas celebrations. We had a lot of fun, but don't worry - I won't post photos of ALL our adventures. Actually, I couldn't if I wanted to. Most of the time I was too busy to remember I even owned a camera. :)

Ah, the anticipation of the annual Hendrickson white elephant gift exchange. It actually doesn't follow white elephant rules in the strictest sense (the gifts were all purchased by one person, and at the end we swapped for whatever things we liked or could use most), but we like it that way.

Here Aunt Emily instructs Joy in the fine art of Mr. Potatohead assembly. We truly learn important life skills from family. :)
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We spent Christmas morning at home, then visited Uncle Mike and Aunt Vicky before heading out for a celebration with my extended family. The few photos I took didn't turn out well, and the rest of the time I was too busy talking and eating (and eating, and eating . . .) to get out the camera. Ah well - memories are worth more than photos, right?

That night we drove up to my parents' cabin, and the next morning Joy was pretty intrigued by all the white stuff on the ground.

She thought Papa's gloves were pretty cool, too.

Everyone who was over age 2 and not pregnant went sledding. It was a lot of fun, as long as they didn't crash. If you want more details about that, talk to my mom - let's just say she'll be applying makeup left-handed for a little while. Sorry, Mom. :(

Er, on that cheerful note . . .


Merry Christmas, everyone!

Schlepping Three People

Remember in the Princess Bride when Vizzini scolds Fezzik the Giant for not climbing the rope fast enough, and Fezzik points out that he is hauling three extra people up the cliff with him? That’s kind of how I felt walking up the hill near Trader Joe’s last week.


With Joy in the stroller, Taylor in the sling, and “Hezekiah” in my tummy, I was technically moving three additional people up the hill with me. It was quite a workout, but at least we’re no longer out of necessary foodstuffs (i.e. butter, cocoa powder, and peppermint bark).

Incidentally, I borrowed the Maya Wrap sling from a friend to give it a try with Taylor, and I definitely plan to invest in one of my own before Baby Boy arrives. Taylor found it very soothing most of the time, and it was nice to have my hands free while I carried her. I probably wouldn't wear it on long walks, but when we took short strolls with Joy it was nice to be able to follow my toddler wherever she rambled, without having to worry about getting a stroller up and down steps, etc.

Give Me Liberty, Or Give Me Hunger

There was a time when Joy and her high chair were on very good terms.

Joy cheerfully got into her chair for meals, and the straps kept her in place while the tray caught anything she happened to spill. Life was good.

Of course, the only constant in life is change, especially when your life includes a toddler. Joy has discovered that if she sits in a regular chair, she can get up and leave any time she wants to. Suddenly being strapped into a high chair is much less appealing to her (though her parents still think it's an excellent idea).

We can still occasionally persuade Joy to sit in her high chair if she really, REALLY wants the food we're offering, but most of the time she'd rather go without than surrender her liberty. That's very American of her and all, but the idea of feeding her lasagna or pureed peaches without a tray makes me shudder. I know she's got to start eating at the table sometime, but that doesn't make the transition easy for me.

Sprinkling Good Cheer

Joy thinks our Christmas tree is pretty cool . . .

. . . almost as cool as the sprinklers we encounter on our walks, but not quite. Any time we pass one, she pauses and says "Huh!" over and over (getting progressively louder), until I verbally acknowledge that the object she's pointing at is, indeed, another sprinkler. I guess every person is passionate about something.

Happy Birthday, Joy!

Joy's first two years have really flown by.

It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital . . .

. . . but it's hard to remember what life was like when she was a rolly-polly six-month-old who couldn't even crawl.

Her one-year-old pictures look like a different person to me . . .

. . . but the photos from six months later look like the little girl we've come to know and love.

Happy Birthday, Joy! We're so glad you came to join our family!

Is the internet changing the way we think?

Just FYI, I just published a post on my personal blog that readers of this blog might find worth some thought and contemplation. Head on over and let me know what you think!

Birthdays are Cool

Joy had a little birthday party with some playgroup buddies this morning. She's learning that birthdays are pretty cool things.

Your parents light things on fire while people sing to you, . . .

. . . you get to tear up brightly colored paper to reveal fun toys to play with, . . .

. . . then you convert the trappings into trendy accessories while you savor tasty things called cupcakes. Mmmmm . . . frosting.

Thanks to our playgroup friends for making Joy's birthday so much fun!

Layered Look

Joy is over a decade away from being a teenager, but she's already starting to experiment with fashion.

She's particularly fond of adding layers (here she is sporting the "Pink Mermaid" look) . . .

. . . but she's also learning to subtract layers. Just in time for winter, of course.

Hands-On Sibling Experience

Joy gets to experience big sisterhood a few months earlier than you might expect. We're watching three-month-old Taylor for a few days while her mom Lisa goes back to work part-time for a little while. We invited Taylor into our home partly to help our friend, but also because I wanted to get a feel for what two-child parenting will be like before I have to do it full time. I also wanted Joy to get a little experience having a baby in the house.

I won't deny things have been a bit crazy sometimes, but by and large this has been a good experience for our family. Joy has taken her temporary "sibling" in stride, and even tries to help out on occasion. As for Phillip and me, this has provided a good reminder what a newborn's needs and routine are like. It's also offered welcome reassurance that I really can handle two children with very different needs and schedules.

Of course, things will be a little tougher in February when we add sleep deprivation and postpartum hormones to the equation, but we'll just cross those bridges when we come to them.

Defying Conventions

Joy says . . .

. . . why go around a table when it's so much more fun to go under it? . . .

And why wear your jeans on both legs when it's so much more avant-garde to wear them on just one side? (She has the same policy about shoes.)

Brining and Dining

Ah, Thanksgiving. You've got to love a holiday centered around family, food, and gratitude. We spent Wednesday with my side of the family, taking the annual family portrait and catching up with my brother Andrew who is in town for the holiday. Of course, we were so busy snapping group pictures that I forgot to ever get our own camera out of its case. Bleh.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Phillip's family--or at least, the members of it that are in town.

Joy and Grandma H worked on their fine motor skills, while I worked on . . .

. . . my turkey cooking skills. I've never cooked a turkey before, and I've been curious to try a method called brining, where you soak the meat for several hours before cooking it to add flavor and keep it from drying out. The most basic brines are just salt, water, and usually some sugar, but I found many recipes that add spices, herbs, etc., to the mix. A whole turkey is supposed to soak for 24 hours or so, but since there were only going to be four of us at the table we just cooked a 3-pound half-breast (shown above in its brine bath). The resulting meat was very moist and flavorful (as turkey goes)--not bad for a first attempt. Next time I may try one of the brine recipes that uses apple cider instead of water.

Here we are preparing to devour hours of work in about twenty minutes. Everything was tasty, but I must say my favorite part of the meal was the mashed potatoes. I usually view mashed potatoes as merely a bland vehicle for getting gravy to one's mouth, but these potatoes were good enough to eat on their own. I really must get that recipe from Mom H . . .

In case you're wondering where Joy is, she was actually fast asleep when this picture was taken. Since she has little interest these days in any food that isn't applesauce or Cheerios, we figured it made more sense to let us adults enjoy a peaceful meal, and invite Joy to partake next year when she'll appreciate it more.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Accessories for the Heart

Joy's Grandma Hendrickson recently made her a special necklace. It has a laminated picture of Grandma and another of Joy (with their names printed on the back), and a heart between them. The three "medallions" are connected by a length of ribbon. Depending on which way Joy wears it, it says "Grandma Loves Joy" or "Joy Loves Grandma."

Joy likes necklaces of any sort, but she is particularly fond of this one. She loves looking at the pictures, and holding them up for you if you ask to see them.

Here she's holding Grandma's picture against her cheek so Grandma can give her a kiss. Is that cute or what?

Eating inspired by kids' tastes

As Kimberly mentioned in the last post, we had Anna over a couple of weeks ago, and she and Joy had lots of fun playing together. Anna brought something for dinner that Joy had never tried before - macaroni and cheese. Joy was very interested in this new dish: between feeding Anna bites of mac-and-cheese, she'd try to sneak in bites for herself.

Seeing this brought back memories of my youth when my mom would make a home-made version of mac-and-cheese called pioneer macaroni and cheese: it's prepared in a large pan and cooks in the oven. All of the kids liked it, but my sister Laura, who is a huge cheese lover, would eat it by the plateful. Of course, all of these memories then made me want some pioneer mac-and-cheese for dinner, so soon after Anna's visit, I called my mom and got the recipe. Kimberly was kind enough to prepare it a couple of nights later, and, together with a traditional green salad, I ended up eating a meal that I hadn't eaten in several years. The leftovers were enough to last several days, too, so for the better part of a week, I enjoyed cheesy goodness. Thanks Mom for the recipe & thanks Kimberly for making it!

Big Sister in Training

The other night we hosted little Anna for a few hours while her parents went out for the evening.

The girls had fun playing together. After watching Joy and her buddies play separately for so much of their lives, it still thrills me a little each time I see my daughter playing WITH another child.

Joy also volunteered to help feed Anna her dinner. I'm very curious to see how she'll interact with Little Brother when he arrives in three months (good grief! he's practically here! and anxious to get out, judging from how much he kicks).

Sock It To Me

These days, Joy's really into socks--or "kwahs," as she puts it. Actually, any word with a "k" sound is "kwah" in Joyspeak--socks, blocks, cars, etc. But I digress . . .

Joy loves carrying socks around with her, wearing them on her feet, and . . .

. . . making sure her chair has some for its feet, too.

A Little Dirt Doesn't Hurt

Remember nine months ago when I took Joy to the park for the first time and freaked out over the idea of my precious angel coming in contact with (gasp!) dirt?

My, how things change.

Turning to a Life of Climb

Joy has been getting more adventurous lately . . .

. . . whether she's striding along the Great Wall with Daddy's help . . .

. . . or scaling greater obstacles on her own.

Up . . .

. . . and over!

I don't so much mind that she can climb into the crib (when the side is lowered, at least), but I dread the day she attempts to climb OUT of it.

Just One Word:

WOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Happy Election Day!

Don't forget to vote!!!

Happy Halloween

I think we could all use a holiday from politics. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Actually, our Halloween hasn't been very conventional. Joy still doesn't get the concept of trick-or-treating, and since we live in an apartment complex we rarely have trick-or-treaters come to our door. This year we got a grand total of two: a couple of guys who looked like they could be in college. They weren't even wearing costumes--they just had grocery bags for collecting candy. Sheesh.

We did dress up for the ward's trunk-or-treat activity, though. Here's Angel Joy with Doctor Daddy. I donned cat ears and a tail, but we somehow managed not to get a picture of me, which is not necessarily a huge loss to posterity.

Trick-or-treating at the activity ended up being a family affair. Joy wasn't keen on approaching costumed strangers with spookily decorated car trunks, so Daddy carried our angel and we invited people to hand their candy to her, then she deposited it in the pumpkin bucket I was carrying for her. In the days after the activity, Joy figured out that all those colorful things we collected are actually good to eat. Maybe she'll be more enthusiastic about gathering them herself next year.

A few days later, Joy's playgroup decided to meet at a local indoor playground that was having a Halloween party. Here's Joy striking an angelic pose in the bouncer.

And here are her pals, Red Riding Hood and the Soccer Champ. We tried to get a picture of all the play group kids together, but trying to get kids to pose together is like herding cats. Ah well - memories are worth more than photos, right? :)

Compilation of really good Prop 8 docs

Last night, I received a PDF with a compilation of documents about the dangers of legalizing same-gender marriage, and while I've seen some of the stuff in that document, some of it was a real eye-opener. I was especially astounded at the documentation of all the junk that has happened in Massachusetts after they legalized same-sex marriage - I didn't know the half of what's happened there as a result of that decision, and the lack of action by politicians about it.

Download the PDF, read it, and then share it with those that you know. For all of you with blogs, if you want to link to it as well, feel free to do so.

The more I see, the more grateful I am for a prophet who had the vision to get us on board with this before we even knew how serious the matter is.

Prop 8 debate on Fox 11 news

A debate about Prop 8 was aired by Fox 11 news this morning - the responses to the questions were very good. In particular, I liked how the judge who was speaking for Prop 8 responded to the claim that children will not be taught homosexual ideals in school. He said that schools are not required by CA law to teach a comprehensive sex education course, but that if they choose to do so, they are required to teach about marriage. Since 96% of CA schools choose to teach sex education, it follows that 96% of schools are thus required to teach about marriage including, if Prop 8 doesn't pass, homosexual marriage.

In response to the assertion that even if schools choose to teach about gay marriage, schools will be required to notify parents beforehand and give them the option of removing their children from that education, the judge only had time to say that the assertion isn't true before he was interrupted. He's right, though: according to CA education code 51932(b), "instruction or materials that discuss gender, sexual orientation, or family life and do not discuss human reproductive organs and their functions" is not subject to the parental notice and opt-out laws. In other words, if schools are going to teach about marriage and family life, including homosexual marriage, they're not required to notify parents or give them an opt-out option if they're not also going to be teaching about the human reproductive system.

I've long believed that even though those who oppose Prop 8 say that it has nothing to do with children, some of them* are, in fact, targeting our children, just as they have in Massachusetts. This just lends a great amount of validity to that belief.

Edit: see the post directly above this one for more background, but pages 2-5 of this document give the legal background substantiating these claims.

*(This originally said "they". That's probably not true, and is probably more inflammatory than anything else. While I think that some of the biggest & most vocal opponents of Prop 8 have our children in their sights, I also agree that many, many other people just want to look out for their homosexual partners and/or friends. I apologize if the original text was offensive to anyone - that was not my intent.)

more large companies oppose Prop 8...

I recently read the following article documenting Apple's $100,000 contribution to the No on Prop 8 campaign, and simultaneously mentioning that Google has also come out in opposition to Prop 8. Lots of other big companies have made contributions to the opposing campaign...these are just the latest to do so.

They don't look at Prop 8 as a political issue. Neither do I (it's a moral issue) - but it makes me sorry that I'm enabling these companies to make contributions to a campaign I'm morally opposed to by doing business with them. While it's true that their contributions are probably a small percentage of their income stream, it's also true that my vote on Prop 8 will be a tiny percentage of the total number of votes cast on November 4th. The point is that I'm making my voice heard, just as these companies also are (regardless of whether their employees agree or not).

I'm tempted to stop doing business with them. I was thinking about asking for an iPhone for Christmas...don't think that's going to happen. Maybe I should also cancel my gmail account and stop using Google's search engine. It would be my way of telling these companies that I will not continue helping them come out in opposition to such important moral issues (I'm sure there will be others in the lifetime of these companies).

I don't know - am I being extreme in this thought? What do you think I should do?

CA elementary school teaching homosexuality

I got an email pointing me to the following article, which is reporting on the fact that a CA elementary school has been actively promoting homosexual ideals to its students from Kindergarten and up.

To opponents of Proposition 8 who strongly believe and argue that Prop 8 has nothing to do with schools and that children won't be taught this in school without the right of parents to opt out, consider that it's already happening - the school specifically chose not to inform parents that this was going to happen. Makes it kind of difficult to opt their children out of teaching if they don't know it's occurring.

To those who support Prop 8 or still don't know how to vote, I hope that you'll join me in protecting our kids from being taught those things that should be taught in the home. Please spread the word about this!

Farmers' Market Update

After the Ericksons' rough experience manning the Farmers' Market "Yes on Prop 8" booth last week, Phillip and I expected to be tarred and feathered as soon as we set up the table today. Apparently everyone with an axe to grind got it out of their system last week, though, because our experience was almost entirely positive. The Clarks, who spelled us off around 6:00pm, reported a similar experience when we talked to them later.

One woman did call us liars and another yelled some things at us from a few yards away, but we didn't pay attention so she ran out of steam pretty quickly. The only other "No on 8" person who spoke to us was very courteous in his disagreement. All our other interactions were pretty positive.

Lots of people asked for bumper stickers, fact sheets, and even a few yard signs and posters. A few people had sincere questions we were able to answer. I found it helpful to explain that homosexual domestic partnerships have exactly the same rights as heterosexual marriages, and then to list some of the court cases that show the challenges we can expect over free speech, what gets taught in schools, etc., if Prop 8 doesn't pass.

Incidentally, the balloons we handed out to kids were a really big hit. We actually ran out of helium toward the end, and the folks at the Methodist Church table kindly allowed us to fill up our last balloons from their tank. The main Methodist balloon guy explained that he had already sent in his ballot and he voted yes on Prop 8, so we're on the same team. Amen, brother.

Into the Fire

Over the past several months, Phillip and I have done a variety of things to support the Yes on Prop 8 effort. Some of the things we've done have been a little outside our comfort zone, like knocking doors or calling local voters to talk with them about the proposition. All of that can be a little intimidating, but we feel that preserving traditional marriage and defending our rights of free speech, of religious freedom, and not having a homosexual agenda imposed on our kids at school through lessons and field trips are very good reasons to get involved.

Well, tomorrow afternoon "involved" will take on a whole new meaning for us. We've volunteered to man the "Yes on Prop 8" booth at our local farmer's market, in a town where protesters regularly hold anti-war, "Impeach Bush" rallies. Yeah, it's gonna be wild. If you want to know how wild, try reading the Ericksons' post about their experience last week. They said that some people were supportive or at least respectful, but in most cases they encountered incredible hostility from anti-Prop 8 folks whose motto is "Love Thy Neighbor."

Incidentally, the Ericksons mentioned that it really helped when friends and neighbors stopped by to shed a ray of sunshine through the storm clouds. So if you live near us and have a spare minute between 4:30-6:00pm tomorrow, please come by the booth and give us a smile. Pretty please.

P.S. The Clarks will take over from 6:00pm until the market closes, and they'd probably appreciate a visit, too. :)

For our Tuesday night activity...

...we bought pumpkins for Halloween. Joy picked her very own pumpkin, though she had a hard time deciding between two very similar ones.

Here are our pumpkins, just waiting for a few days until we carve them.

Once we got home from picking out pumpkins (and kicking them like a soccer ball to the front door), Joy decided that she wanted to build something with her blocks...


...so, with Mama's and D's help, she built a tower at least twice as tall as she is. Isn't that an engineering marvel?

Lost and Found

This morning Joy and I visited a pumpkin patch with some friends, and being the snap-happy mom that I am, I brought our camera along to catch a few memories (cuz that's what memory cards are for, right?). We then took the kids for a walk, and on the way home Joy and I stopped at a store to get something we needed. As I was paying for our purchase, I suddenly realized my camera wasn't in its usual spot - or any other spot that I could see.

I searched the store, then retraced all of our steps that morning. Twice. No luck. I couldn't even imagine how the camera had been separated from the stroller, but even if someone hadn't intentionally removed it, they had obviously picked it up from wherever I dropped it. Either way, it was long gone.

When we reached home, I called the police station to report the loss just in case some good citizen decided to bring it in, but I honestly wasn't very hopeful. I had said plenty of prayers, and I believe that God answers them, but sometimes the answer is, "Sorry, sweetie."

An hour or so later we got a call from one of the police officers. He said someone had brought a camera by the station, and he asked where I had been that morning. When I mentioned the pumpkin patch, he replied, "And the little girl pushing the stroller - what was she wearing?"

"Purple pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a little hat . . ."

"Yeah - this is your camera," he said. "I'm looking at that picture right now. You can come get it anytime." Joy and I hopped right in the car to retrieve our camera, and when we arrived the officer told us that a woman had found it down the street from the pumpkin patch and brought it by the station. I still don't know how we could have dropped it, but I'm very grateful that there are still good, honest people in this old world. Thanks, ma'am, whoever you are.

P.S. Joy was really impressed by the pumpkin patch's pop-up vampire. "Mom, did you SEE that?"

Joy and the Tricky Dismount

At the park recently, I noticed Joy spending a lot of time on a springy firetruck toy. Sometimes other kids would climb on the back of it to play with her, but most of the time she just sat there on her own, calmly watching the world go by. I hadn't realized that she liked the toy enough to spend half an hour on it.

After a while, I noticed she was staring in my direction a lot and stretching her hands toward me. I walked over to see what she wanted. As soon as I was within reach, she grabbed hold of me and used me for support as she climbed down from the firetruck. I guess she wasn't necessarily a huge fan of it - she just couldn't figure out how to get off.

Now that she knows how, maybe she can explain the process to Daddy.